Ambassador Chung’s Remarks at “Shine 50” Women Changemakers Awards Ceremony

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests and Shine 50 Awardees,

Good evening. It is an honor being with you this evening to recognize 50 extraordinary women changemakers in Sri Lanka. There is so much energy and dynamism the minute you walk into this room! Thank you for having me and thank you to Echelon Media for hosting this event, with support from USAID, and Seylan Bank for their sponsorship as well.

Today, we are shining a light on young women leaders who are driving social change in Sri Lanka. It is impressive that these young women were selected by their peers and networks through a competitive, nationwide open call for nominations. They represent some of Sri Lanka’s most promising emerging leaders and I would like to highlight a few of these amazing women here:

Vishmi Kaushalya is a social worker who is passionate about women’s empowerment. In fact, she has been an active social worker since age 10 and now is the Deputy Director of Women’s Empowerment at the Foundation for Goodness Seenigama , where she is encouraging rural women to step out of stereotypical roles that society often imposes on women.
Then we have LGBTQI and human rights activists like Meera Nadarasa, who is the Director of Anichcham, a non-profit in the Eastern Province that promotes the rights of women and the LGBTQI community so we can share respect for everyone.
There are many enterprising leaders here tonight, including Amira Ghafoor, who founded her own technology and data science firm in 2017 at the age of 22. The firm keeps growing and today employs 18 people and has a global clientele.

As you can see, these young women are diverse in every sense – from geographic location to professional sector, experience and education. Their ideas, passion, and determination have the power to reshape our world in ways we can only begin to imagine. They are the innovators, the advocates, the thinkers, and the dreamers who can transform vision into reality. I draw great inspiration from their collective efforts and believe championing them is not just an ideal but a necessity for an inclusive and thriving society.

The world is full of inspirational women and one who really inspires me is one of the most remarkable advocates for women’s rights in our time: Malala Yousafzai. Her journey and her relentless fight for girls’ education and gender equality resonates deeply with us here in Sri Lanka, as we strive to uplift and empower women across the island.

Malala’s story began in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, where she faced tremendous obstacles to her education due to societal norms and extremist threats. Despite these challenges, Malala stood firm in her belief that every girl has the right to learn. Her voice, once a whisper, grew into a powerful roar that could not be silenced, even after she suffered a grievous attack on her life. Her courage and resilience are not just personal triumphs but are a clarion call for action and change.

It is clear that these Shine 50 awardees here tonight are answering that call. In their own way, each of these women is a catalyst for profound change in their communities and beyond. While Malala is a courageous figure, there are brave individuals in every field—whether it’s science, arts, politics, architecture, economics, human rights, media and journalism, entertainment, or education. I meet them every day here in Sri Lanka. A woman I met last week in Hambantota using palmyra leaves to make handicrafts with business plans she learned from USAID, to the first woman-owned company that got publicly listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange with the help of USAID, to the amazing female navy divers I dived with into the depths of Trincomalee harbor. Women who are brave in fighting norms and creating new spaces. Perhaps creating spaces where you don’t have 39 men running for president, but some women included too. Some of the people here tonight might become that spark of inspiration for someone else in their own field.

There’s a story of a little girl in a foreign land whose parents grew up in a war-torn era, who moved to the United States with one suitcase and started small but with many dreams, who found her voice and grew up to become the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka. I share this story not because of what I did, but to honor the sacrifices of my parents, and to show that with faith and a little courage, little girls can grow up to be leaders. So know that each of your 50 women are here in your seats because you deserve to be here, you are fated to be here, selected from over 600 applicants.

I encourage you young women to use this platform to connect and collaborate; to support each other and bolster your collective efforts. Let us commit to a future where every girl has the opportunity to dream big, where every woman’s voice is heard, and where young women are coming out of the shadows to bring about a brighter future.

I’ll end with a line from Katy Perry’s “Roar”: ‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar.’ So speak up, let your voice be heard, roar like a lion, and do great things for your community and Sri Lanka.

Congratulations to all the Shine 50 honorees!